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John O | March 2019

Engineers develop, inexpensive smart stop sign to improve driver safety on rural roads


By Josh Perry, Editor
[email protected]

 

Engineers from the University of Texas at San Antonio (USTA) designed a smart stop sign that uses infrared technology to sense oncoming vehicles and trigger a flashing system to alert motorists about the stop sign.

 


The new stop sign registers the heat of incoming vehicles and signals motorists about upcoming stop signs. (USTA/YouTube)

 

“Rural roads account for 70 percent of the nation’s byways and the location for 54 percent of all fatalities, according to the Federal Highway Administration,” explained a report from USTA. “Without access to a power supply, they are more likely than other roads to lack signals and active traffic signage.”

 

The smart stop sign incorporates a multi-pixel passive infrared sensor to detect approaching vehicles. It then sends a signal to trigger a blinking light above the sign. Researchers said that the sensor can determine the vehicle’s direction of travel, velocity of its thermal signal, and the type of vehicle that it is.

 

“Overall, the smart system has a 90 percent vehicle detection rate and a vehicle classification accuracy of 72 percent,” the report noted. “Compared to current traffic sensing technologies in urban areas such as magnetic loop inductors, video image processors and microwave radar, the new system consumes less power and offers better accuracy.”

 

The main benefit of the smart stop sign system is its cost. Unlike current safety systems, which can cost as much as $5,000, smart stop signs cost $60-100 per unit. The signs are powered by small solar panels, which means that no power grid is required.

 

Learn more about the new smart stop sign in the video below:

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